Conventional digital televisions (DTVs) have the ability to connect and view multiple source inputs (i.e., Cable TV, Sat TV, DVD/Blu-ray Player, VCR, etc.). The input connections on a DTV typically include Ant/Cable, Component Video 1, Component Video 2, RGB, HMDI 1, HDMI 2, USB, Composite, etc. As long as the source device has a matching connection (i.e., an HDMI output of a Satellite TV box is connected to an HDMI input of the DTV), a user is free to choose which source device is connected to which input connection on the DTV. When the user wants to watch a DVD instead of the cable TV, the user first selects the input menu on the DTV using the remote, then scrolls to the input of interest and then manually selects the input with the remote. Once an input is manually selected by the user, the internal electronics of the DTV switch to the selected input so the content can be viewed by the user.
It would be desirable to implement a method and/or apparatus in a television to automatically recognize that a source device has begun providing a signal and then either (i) automatically switch to the input for that source device or (ii) prompt the user with a screen, asking the user to confirm or reject switching to the new input to view the content.